USB Flash Drive Round-Up: Corsair, OCZ and Kingston

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Corsair Voyager GT Specs & Features

Have you broken or water-logged your precious flash drives in the past? If so, Corsair has the flash drive for you -- the ruggedized Voyager GT. We didn't even know we needed a rugged flash drive until Corsair released the original Voyager a couple years ago. Users and reviewers have shown that the Voyager drives can withstand quite a bit of torture, including being run over by a car, being boiled, and being run through a wash cycle in a pair of jeans. While that does intrigue us, our interest was piqued when we learned that Corsair hand picks the NAND flash that is used in the Voyager GT to maximize performance.

Includes the True Crypt security application allowing for a virtual encrypted drive using AES-256 encryption

Security application allows you to create a password-protected partition

Windows ReadyBoost compliant

10-year warranty

MSRP: $119.99 (8GB, at launch / Feb 2007)

Accessories

Lanyard

USB extension cable

Corsair designed the Voyager GT with performance in mind, but it maintained all the ruggedness of the original Voyager. What this ruggedness equates to is a Corsair proprietary all-rubber housing that encloses the entire drive (except for the USB connector of course). Even the cap is made completely of rubber. For consistency's sake, we'll mention that this drive, the fourth and final in our round-up, also comes in a not-so-friendly blister pack.

The Voyager GT definitely seems rugged when you hold and inspect it. We were surprised by its weight for a flash drive; it feels strangely "heavy" (at less than three ounces, it's definitely not heavy per se, just relative to some other flash drives). We assume this 8GB Voyager GT's weight is due to all the rubber in the rugged design and the fact that this thing packs in 8GB of flash memory. Speaking of all that rubber, the housing actually is kind of fat for a flash drive, which means you either can't or won't want to plug this drive into a USB port adjacent to an already occupied one. It simple won't fit (easily or at all) if the two ports are right next to each other. Also, we noticed that the rubber housing likes to pick up lint from your pockets.

Of all the drives in this round-up, the Voyager GT comes with the most extras, which include a lanyard for wearing the drive around your neck, a USB extension cable, and a security application for encryption and password protecting a partition. The Voyager GT also features the second best warranty in the group at 10 years. Additionally, the status LED for this drive is a cool blue.